"Hardly anyone does this": Mike Krzyzewski recalls "Alpha dog" Kobe Bryant's unexpected standard for '2008 Redeem Team' despite NBA top scorer title

Legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski managed the Team USA basketball team for 11 years from 2005 to 2016. 2008 was a unique year as he witnessed the high standards of NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant.

Krzyzewski caught up with one of his former players, Shane Battier, in a video of the "Glue Guys Podcast" that was uploaded to YouTube on Thursday. Battier played at Duke from 1997 to 2001 before having a solid 13-year career in the NBA that saw him win two NBA championships. One topic they discussed involved Coach K's first Olympic tournament as U.S. head coach.

Preparing for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, Krzyzewski had a USA team that had superstars like Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard, and Carmelo Anthony, among others. They went undefeated in the tournament, going 8-0 as they beat Spain 118-107 in the gold medal match.

Despite the multiple personalities he had to manage, Mike Krzyzewski brought the team together during one practice as he had assistance from Bryant, who was viewed by many as the best player in the NBA and top scorer at the time.

"One of the coaches said, 'We need to have poise. Don't show weakness.'...then Kobe raised his hand. He was the best player at that time, and maybe best player of all time. We had alpha dogs, but he was the alpha dog. So he raised his hand and he was the leading scorer in the NBA, said, 'If we play defense and rebound, we'll kick everyone's butt,'" Mike Krzyzewski said at the 31:30 mark.

"In our first practice, he never took a shot. Without me, if you have somebody like that on your team who's already doing this stuff. This is, like, hardly anyone does this stuff and we had four team standards."

Mike Krzyzewski critical of NCAA after Jim Larranaga retirement

When Mike Krzyzewski retired in 2022, he ended his coaching career at a time when name, image, and likeness started entering the forefront of college sports. Now, it has evolved into a priority for many players.

The college basketball world received shocking news last month when Jim Larranaga stepped down from his position as head coach of the Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team despite making a Final Four run in 2023. He specifically pointed out NIL as the main reason, seeing how much it has affected his ability to recruit and coach players.

Krzyzewski criticized the NCAA for not having an organized solution to how NIL would be arranged to allow the players to make profit from their name, but allow for stability within programs.

"Most of us – and I’m saying this, and our listeners might laugh because we’ve made a lot of money – but when we got in it, you didn’t make a lot of money. You made a living. You did what you loved, and you loved college basketball and you loved the development of people, young men. And then, boom, you started making a lot of money, and then players should still make a lot," Mike Krzyzewski said on his SiriusXM radio show.

"So it’s changed, but it’s changed so dramatically. There wasn’t like a step-by-step process … and that’s the NCAA’s fault. They should have been doing something for the last 30 years to allow more and more, and we wouldn’t be in all this stuff right now. It’s ridiculous what we’re in.”

Mike Krzyzewski waved goodbye to a historic career as Duke's head coach after 42 years with the program. He finished with a 1,129-309 record, winning five national championships while making 13 appearances to the NCAA Final Four.

His time as Team USA head coach is no joke either, winning five golds and three bronze medals across the Olympics and FIBA Tournaments.